A gift

The instant the white mist touched her, Yui seemed to feel pain, her brows drawing together.

"Bear with it for now..." Katsuyu whispered beside Yui's ear.

After she said that, Yui's furrowed brows actually relaxed.

Katsuyu was taken aback, then shook her head and continued concentrating on her Ninjutsu.

After a while, Katsuyu withdrew her hands.

"Now we just have to wait for her to wake up." Having finished, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"It looks like it worked." She smiled as she looked at Yui's face.

Suddenly, Katsuyu's pupils contracted.

"This is..."

Before her eyes, traces of blue-green began seeping across Yui's forehead again.

"Damn it," she muttered.

She could sense the blue-green Cursed Seal attaching itself to Yui's brain and eyes once more.

Seeing this, Katsuyu could only sigh helplessly.

"I spoke too soon. It looks like this attempt failed."

"I'm afraid she'll be disappointed."

An unknown amount of time passed, and the sky outside the window had gone completely dark.

Yui abruptly sat up in bed.

The glaring lights in the room brought reflexive tears to her eyes.

"My eyes aren't blind," she murmured.

Did that mean it worked?

She gathered chakra in her eyes, instantly activating her Byakugan.

But what she saw left her disappointed.

There was still a one-degree blind spot in her Byakugan's field of vision.

That meant the Caged Bird Seal still hadn't been removed.

Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared in her field of vision.

Katsuyu stood quietly beside her, her back turned.

Yui got out of bed.

"Katsuyu," she called softly.

"Yui, you're awake!" Katsuyu turned around in delight.

Then she hesitated, lowering her eyes.

"Yui, this is all my fault..." Katsuyu said, blaming herself.

Yui paused, patted her shoulder, then smiled. "You know this isn't your fault, don't you?"

"Besides, I expected it might fail."

She hadn't held much hope for this attempt in the first place.

Even now that it had failed, she only felt a little disappointed.

Besides, it wasn't as though there were no other ways to remove the Cursed Seal.

"Oh, is that so..." Katsuyu's expression froze for a moment.

"By the way, Katsuyu, could you tell me exactly what happened while you were removing the Cursed Seal?" Yui asked.

Katsuyu nodded at her question.

"Sure."

"This is what happened..."

After Katsuyu finished explaining the entire process, Yui fell deep into thought.

"The Caged Bird Seal disappeared after I entered a state of apparent death?"

"But why did it form again afterward?"

She was rather puzzled.

"Also, Yui, the newly formed Cursed Seal seems much weaker than the previous one," Katsuyu explained. "I doubt this seal is even strong enough to destroy your eyes now."

"Is that true?" Hearing Katsuyu's words, Yui grew excited.

If that was true, the Cursed Seal on her forehead was nothing more than decoration.

"Yes." Katsuyu nodded.

She formed hand seals and spat out a stream of water, which formed a water mirror in front of Yui.

"Take a look at the Cursed Seal on your forehead first."

Yui nodded and looked into the water mirror before her.

When she saw the Cursed Seal on her forehead, she froze.

The Caged Bird Seal on her forehead was now only a small blue-green cross, and the horizontal lines on either side had disappeared.

Only faint outlines remained.

"This..." She reached up to touch the Cursed Seal on her forehead, her excitement plain to see.

"Thank you, Katsuyu." Yui turned and pulled Katsuyu into a huge hug.

"Mmph..." Katsuyu was startled by the sudden movement.

Her entire face was pressed against Yui's shoulder, leaving her unable to speak clearly.

Unable to breathe freely, her cheeks gradually flushed.

How is Yui so strong? Katsuyu grumbled inwardly.

After a while, Yui finally released Katsuyu.

"Phew-" Freed at last, Katsuyu took a deep breath of fresh air.

"Katsuyu, I have an idea," Yui said with a smile.

If we could use this method a few more times...

At her words, Katsuyu's expression immediately turned serious.

An idea?

She didn't even have to think to know what Yui wanted to do.

"No..." Before Yui could explain, she rejected the idea outright.

"Ah..." Yui felt a little disappointed. She hadn't expected Katsuyu to refuse so quickly.

"It's too dangerous. Once was manageable."

"But if we do it a few more times, what if you actually die?" Katsuyu said gravely.

"But..." Yui wanted to say more, but under Katsuyu's stern gaze, she closed her mouth.

After all, if Katsuyu truly refused, Yui couldn't do it alone.

"Haah..." She sighed helplessly.

"By the way, Yui, there's news from Konoha."

"You should be able to go back in a few days."

Hearing Katsuyu's words, Yui jolted, even forgetting her idea of weakening the Cursed Seal.

"What?" Unable to believe her ears, Yui asked again.

Katsuyu nodded. "My clone was summoned by my summoner from Konoha. You should be able to go back in another two days."

"Is that true?" Yui asked eagerly.

"Yes, it is."

"But why do I have to wait another two days? Can't we do it now?" Yui asked.

"Um..."

"She isn't in Konoha right now, so she can't summon you there yet."

"I see..." Yui forced herself to calm down.

She walked to the window and gazed at the moonlight outside.

"Nai, I'll be coming to find you soon. Please be safe," she murmured.

For some reason, she kept feeling that the moon here seemed larger than it did elsewhere.

Maybe it was just her imagination!

Looking at Yui, Katsuyu seemed to remember something and took out a scroll from nearby.

She walked over and held the scroll out to her. "Oh, Yui, this is for you."

"What is it?" Yui asked in confusion.

The scroll in Katsuyu's hand was black all over, ancient and mysterious, like an antique.

"It's a gift from me."

"Go on, take it!" Katsuyu urged. "Consider it a gift to mark our first meeting!"

"A gift?" Yui grew curious.

What kind of gift would Katsuyu give her?

Still, she shook her head. She couldn't accept a gift she hadn't earned.

Seeing her refuse, Katsuyu grew a little anxious.

Seizing the opportunity, she shoved it straight into Yui's arms.

"Keep it safe. Don't lose it."

"Now that you've accepted it, it's yours."

"Oh, and wait until no one's around before you look at it by yourself."

"Huh?" Yui stared blankly at the scroll in her arms.

Hearing Katsuyu's words, she shook her head helplessly.

Oh well. Since things had come to this, she could only accept it.

And she had to look at it alone?

Why all the mystery?

Could it be that sort of thing?